Wellington City Council hires Englishman for top job
Thursday, 5 December 2024
Have your say and leave a comment below.
Wellington councillors have selected the boss of an English council to be their new chief executive.
Matt Prosser, chief executive of Dorset Council, will replace Barbara McKerrow, who steps down in March.
The Post understands the council flew Prosser to New Zealand for an interview last week.
He takes over at a tumultuous time for the capital, with residents scratchy about soaring rates, and will have to work with a fractured council and Crown observer Lindsay McKenzie.
McKenzie was installed by the Government after the council halted the controversial sale of its stake in the airport, upending the Long-term Plan and triggering significant budget cuts.
Prosser is also president of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers (Solace) and recently published an article about the need to reset the tense relationship between councils and central government in the United Kingdom.
Although he hails from a conservative-leaning city, it’s understood Prosser impressed councillors with his emphasis on caring for the vulnerable in society, particularly children in care.
As Dorset council boss, he is responsible for around 4500 staff and earns more $400,000 a year ‒ more than the British prime minister.
He was the first head of the new unitary authority in Dorset, established in 2019.
After The Post broke the news, the council confirmed the appointment in a statement
“I love New Zealand and have always thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Wellington,” Prosser said in the statement.
“My wife and I are looking forward to becoming Wellingtonians and walking the lovely bush trails with our golden retriever, enjoying the excellent cafes and hospitality, and cheering on the Hurricanes and Poua.
“Wellington is just the kind of city we love, full of innovative, creative people, wonderful nature and a rich history.”
He added: “Local government is a complex environment with multiple stakeholders, competing interests and funding challenges, but also so much opportunity to contribute in a positive way to the well-being of our communities and environment.”
The statement said Prosser has three decades of experience working in local government, and his start date is yet to be confirmed.
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau said there was “significant global and national interest” in the job.
Prosser was selected for “his local government experience, focus on people and community outcomes, commitment to innovation and transformation, and proven leadership in developing teams,” she said.
“I’m really pleased Matt is coming on board to lead our Council through this period of transition. Whilst new to Wellington, his international experience will be of significant benefit. He’s a strong relationship builder, with decades of involvement in local government and a commitment to service.
“I look forward to working with him and introducing him to all that Pōneke has to offer.”
McKerrow’s predecessor, Kevin Lavery, also hailed from an English council. He arrived from Cornwall in 2013, taking over from long-serving chief executive Gary Poole.
Chief executives get a five-year term but McKerrow, a former New Plymouth District Council chief executive, did not ask for an extension.
McKerrow announced she was stepping down in July, after a tenure that saw plenty of controversies. During her reign she also got offside with a number of councillors who would have voted on her future had she re-applied for the job.
After a failed proposal to sell shares in Wellington Airport and a scuppered plan to buy the land under the mothballed Reading cinema complex on Courtenay Place, The Post revealed McKerrow was restricting information to councillors.
McKerrow also got into a public spat with councillor Ray Chung, chiding him for circulating a consultation form to residents to give feedback on the capital’s annual budget.
And she and mayor Tory Whanau launched a ratepayer-funded leak inquiry accusing five councillors of leaking information on the secret deal to buy land under the derelict cinema site. The councillors refused to co-operate, branding it a “political and biased attack” and the source was never identified.
In a statement announcing her departure, McKerrow said she had a “tremendously rewarding career” but planned to pursue “other interests”.
“Our organisation has faced some major challenges during this time. In particular, the importance of supporting Wellingtonians through a global pandemic while continuing to deliver 400 plus services every day and simultaneously building capacity to ramp up delivery on the most ambitious programme of investment the city has ever experienced,” she said in a statement.